Pan Putney Pop Up at the Hurlingham Yacht Club
Brazilian-Scandinavian meets British Game… not your average night in Putney. Named after the Greek God of wild food and music, Pan Putney Pop Up, hosted by Chef Dougy Robertson, run private catering events and pop-ups in the UK.
We visited a pop up held at the Hurlingham Yacht Club in Putney, which provided an intimate and relaxed setting for what proved to be a treat of a dining experience.
We were welcomed in with a Summer Cup cocktail, described as an “edgy Pimms”, which turned out to be gin with sherry and a selection of herbs. It was an intriguing mix that went down well. And rather quickly.
After we had some time to enjoy our cocktails looking out from the Yacht Club across the Thames we were ushered into the main clubhouse where two long tables side-by-side, reminiscent of a banquet setting, were laid out for the evening’s activities.
Chef Dougy introduced himself, and the food he would be cooking, which took inspiration from his early years in Brazil, mixed with his love of Scandinavian cooking techniques and British Game. He would introduce each course, showing his passion for the food he was sending out and the time he had spent thinking up the techniques and flavours. His short introductions to the dish made you feel more involved in the experience and somehow more knowledgeable as a result.
An aperitif of Squirrel Escondidinhio (easy for you to say) started us off. This was essentially shredded squirrel Brazilian style, served in a courgette and was rather tasty, if unconventional.
Then came our starter – ember seared gravlax, which is a Scandinavian dish of cured salmon. It was accompanied by wild garlic, pickled radish, asparagus ribbons and samphire with an aioli sauce for added flavour. The fish was served on a crunchy rye bread. Being at the Yacht Club, this seemed a fitting starter and the mix of cuisines and techniques was going down well amongst the diners.
The star of the show was the main course, where Dougy could show off his skills and cook British Game the Scandinavian way by roasting it over a fire, which was on show when we first entered the Club. His game of choice was Muntjac saddle, which is venison and was tender and full of flavour. The Muntjac was partnered with a mix of side dishes; a Brazilian black bean feijao (with bacon added in making it totally delicious), a salad with carrots, new potato, watercress and nettle, a mint and nettle dressing, and finally Farrofa. Dougy described Farrofa as a Brazilian Yorkshire pud as it was used to mop up your meat and sauces, with more of a couscous consistency. All these pieces worked well to produce a dish that offered big and unusual flavours whilst being fresh and not too heavy.
After most of the room had cleared their plates, Dougy delivered a celebration of Rhubarb for the dessert. Caramelised rhubarb with an almond and coconut frangipani, along with rhubarb honeycomb and a rhubarb and sorrel coulis. The rhubarb was zingy and the frangipani sweet, and both were complemented by the pieces of rhubarb honeycomb which crackled in your mouth. For a summertime dinner it was an ideal dessert, and we enjoyed it so much we totally lost track of time and realised trains needed to be caught soon after.
Pan Putney will be running other events throughout the year, as well as one-off bookings such as the “A Feast with Fire” event currently being held in the Wiltshire countryside and we thoroughly recommend you check them out!
Check http://www.restaurantpan.co.uk/ for updates.
